A battle augur is a spellcaster who watches his enemies closely, then mimics their actions to produce similar effects. Sometimes referred to as a blue mage, these masters of monstrous abilities have become quite popular with kingdoms looking to train their soldiers to fight specific creatures.

As a group, battle augurs respect all creatures. To them, all things are magic in some way, even if only the magic of creation. Those who work together will often trade stories and suggestions for how to learn a particularly difficult technique. Coincidentally, most battle augurs wish only to capture their foes, so that others like them can learn similar abilities. Traveling circuses and zoos have started to crop up in some nations of the world, run by battle augurs as schools for their trade.

Role: Battle augurs are neither frontline warriors, nor background spellcasters. They quest to find enemies with special abilities that can be used later against another threat.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d8

Starting Wealth: 2d6 × 10 gp (average 70 gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the augur.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

A battle augur is proficient with all simple weapons, light armor, and shields (except tower shields). An augur can cast battle augur spells while wearing light armor and using a shield without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a bard wearing medium or heavy armor incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass battle augur still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Spells

Table: Battle Augur Spells Known

Level

Spells Known

0th

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

1st

4

2

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

2nd

5

2

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

3rd

5

3

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

4th

6

3

1

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

5th

6

4

2

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

6th

7

4

2

1

—

—

—

—

—

—

7th

7

5

3

2

—

—

—

—

—

—

8th

8

5

3

2

1

—

—

—

—

—

9th

8

5

4

3

2

—

—

—

—

—

10th

9

5

4

3

2

1

—

—

—

—

11th

9

5

5

4

3

2

—

—

—

—

12th

9

5

5

4

3

2

1

—

—

—

13th

9

5

5

4

4

3

2

—

—

—

14th

9

5

5

4

4

3

2

1

—

—

15th

9

5

5

4

4

4

3

2

—

—

16th

9

5

5

4

4

4

3

2

1

—

17th

9

5

5

4

4

4

3

3

2

—

18th

9

5

5

4

4

4

3

3

2

1

19th

9

5

5

4

4

4

3

3

3

2

20th

9

5

5

4

4

4

3

3

3

3

A battle augur casts arcane spells drawn from the battle augur spell list. he can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, an augur must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a battle augur’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the augur’s Intelligence modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a battle augur can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. his base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Battle Augur. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells).

A battle augur’s selection of spells is extremely limited. An augur begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of his choice. At each new battle augur level, he gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Battle Augur Spells Known. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a sorcerer knows is not affected by his Intelligence score; the numbers on Table: Battle Augur Spells Known are fixed.) These new spells can be common spells chosen from the battle augur spell list, or they can be unusual spells that the augur has gained some understanding of through study.

Upon reaching 5th level, and at every third battle augur level after that (8th, 11th, and so on), a battle augur can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the augur loses the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged. A battle augur may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level.

Unlike a wizard or a cleric a battle augur need not prepare his spells in advance. He can cast any spell he knows at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his spells per day for that spell level.

Battle Augury (Sp)

Once per day, a battle augur can tap into his magic to mimic the abilities of a creature with whom he interacts. After witnessing a creature cast a spell or use one of its spell-like, supernatural, or extraordinary abilities, the augur can use a standard action within 1 minute to add that ability to his list of spells known. The effective spell level of the ability gained is equal to a spell of the same name, or half the hit dice of the creature using it (minimum 1) if no such spell exists. If the equivalent spell exists at different levels, the augur uses the highest level at which it could be gained.

Abilities with limited uses (1/day, every 1d4 rounds, etc…) are similarly limited for the augur, in addition to requiring a spell slot. Any ability learned with battle augury counts as a spell when used by the augur and uses the augur’s Intelligence modifier in place of another (grit, for example, normally uses Wisdom). Abilities gained more than once do not stack. Constant abilities last a number of hours equal to the battle augur’s class level before they must be cast again. Abilities with no spell equivalent are mimicked exactly as they were used, except that any save DCs are replaced by the augur’s spell save DC for the level used to cast them.

A battle augur can know one ability per daily use of battle augury. If he uses battle augury and he already knows his maximum number of abilities, the augur must choose one ability to lose.

Studied Target (Ex)

A battle augur can study an opponent he can see as a move action. The augur then gains a +1 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks attempted against that opponent, and a +1 bonus on weapon attack rolls and weapon damage rolls against it. The DCs of battle augur class abilities against that opponent increase by 1. A battle augur can maintain these bonuses against only one opponent at a time; these bonuses remain in effect until either the opponent is dead or the augur studies a new target.If the augur uses battle augury or deals damage to a flat-footed target, he can study that target as an immediate action, allowing him to apply his studied target bonuses against that target (including to the normal weapon damage roll).

At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, the bonuses on weapon attack rolls, damage rolls, and skill checks and to the DCs of battle augur abilities against a studied target increase by 1. In addition, at each such interval, the augur is able to maintain these bonuses against an additional studied target at the same time. The augur may discard this connection to a studied target as a free action, allowing him to study another target in its place.

At 7th level, a battle augur can study an opponent as a move or swift action.

Studied Strike (Ex)

At 2nd level, a battle augur can choose to make a studied strike against his studied target as a free action, upon successfully hitting his studied target with a melee attack or ranged attack within 30 ft., to deal additional damage. The damage is 1d6 at 2nd level, and increases by 1d6 for every 3 levels thereafter (to a maximum of 7d6 at 20th level). The damage of studied strike is precision damage and is not multiplied on a critical hit; creatures that are immune to sneak attacks are also immune to studied strike.

If the augur’s attack used a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (like a sap, whip, or an unarmed strike), he may choose to have the additional damage from studied strike be nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. If the augur chose to make an attack with a lethal weapon instead deal nonlethal damage (with the usual –4 penalty), the studied strike damage may also deal nonlethal damage.

The augur must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A battle augur cannot use studied strike against a creature with concealment.

Echoes of Battle (Ex)

At 3rd level, a battle augur learns how to pattern a small number of abilities he has mimicked so that he can recall them after resting. When he uses battle augury, the augur can now choose to learn or pattern an ability he would gain. The augur can pattern up to a maximum number of abilities equal to his Intelligence modifier + 1/2 his level (minimum 1). If he has reached his maximum abilities known, he can pattern one of those abilities to learn the new ability in its place. When he regains spells per day, the augur can also swap which abilities he has patterned and known.

For example, if a battle augur with an 18 Intelligence wants to use battle augury to learn a monster’s breath weapon, but he already knows 5 abilities, he can either pattern breath weapon or learn breath weapon and pattern one of those abilities as part of the same action.

Once a battle augur has patterned his maximum number of abilities, he cannot pattern more unless he either gives up one of those he has already or relearns it as described above.

Augur’s Shield (Ex)

At 6th level, and again at 18th level, a battle augur gains a +3 bonus to his choice of Fortitude or Reflex saving throws.

Swift Augury (Sp)

Starting at 9th level, a battle augur can also use battle augury as a swift action, so he can learn a new ability, then use a standard action to cast it as a spell; or he could use a swift action to learn one ability and a standard to learn another.

Challenging Augury (Sp)

At 12th level, a battle augur learns a necessary trick to gaining abilities of creatures with more hit dice than he has. When he uses battle augury to gain the ability of a creature with more hit dice than his class level, the augur can still use that ability as a full-round action by expending one spell slot of the highest level he can cast plus one or more additional spell slots until the total number of spell levels equals or exceeds half the creature’s total hit dice. The augur always uses his highest available spell slots first, and if he has no spells left for the day of his highest level, he can’t use this ability. Abilities with an equivalent spell can’t be cast with challenging augury.

For example, if a 12th-level augur uses battle augury to gain poison from a purple worm, that poison is considered an 8th-level spell, but the augur can cast it as a full-round action by expending a 6th-level spell slot and a 2nd-level spell slot. If he has no 6th-level spell slots remaining, he cannot use purple worm poison. When he reaches 14th level, the augur can use the purple worm’s poison by expending a 7th-level spell slot and a 1st-level spell slot. If he has no 7th-level spell slots remaining, he cannot use purple worm poison.

Another example is if a 20th-level battle augur gains a great wyrm blue dragon’s breath weapon. The ability becomes a 14th-level spell, which the augur can cast as a full-round action with a 9th-level spell slot and a 5th-level spell slot. The DC for the breath weapon is still 19 + the augur’s Intelligence modifier (not 32 as with the monster), and it deals 24d8 electricity damage in a 140-ft. line. If the dragon casts reverse gravity, the battle augur can learn it as a 7th-level spell, since reverse gravity is already a 7th-level wizard spell.

Perfect Augury (Sp)

At 18th level, a battle augur can also use battle augury as a free action once per round, so he can now learn up to three abilities in the same round if he has enough uses of battle augury to do so using a standard action, a swift action, and a free action.